


Fancy Dresses and Kisses

by coffeexwhiskey



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: ASoIaF, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arya is an Actress, AryaxGendry - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Forgive Me, Friends to Lovers, Gendry is an Actor, Gendrya - Freeform, GoT, Originally Posted on Tumblr, idk how to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-23 21:23:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20227909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeexwhiskey/pseuds/coffeexwhiskey
Summary: Press, Dresses, Wine and Kisses.





	Fancy Dresses and Kisses

“You look good,” his blue eyes shined as he glanced over her from head to toe. They shared a quick peck on the cheek and gave each other a warm hug.

“Thanks, so do you,” he froze for a moment, staring at her and she too stopped after realizing what she said. Then they broke into laughter together.

“Thanks?” he replayed playfully.

“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you for a while,” she unconsciously gripped on her pink dress as he talked about where he had been filming for a series. She wasn’t really paying attention to his words. She bobbed her head as if she was intently listening to him when really her mind was thinking of how she missed his blues eyes when she’s with him, or the way he mindlessly licked his lips when he’s excited to talk about something, or how his jaws clenched when he tries to remember some story or information. His hands moving about as he explained his future projects to her. The small smile never leaving her face.

“That sounds wonderful, Gendry,” she stretched a hand to pat his arm, oh how his muscled arm felt good on her palm. It reminded her of that night she ran her hands over them when they were filming their scenes for the movie, that’s why they were in this big, fancy hotel – celebrating the premiere of their movie together. Though her role wasn’t that big, she was grateful she had the chance to share some scenes with his leading character where they even got to share some kisses for the movie; once or twice.

Somehow, it was no surprise that they were on the same film together again. They both have the same agency, making it easier for them to bump into each other, attend the same events and be on the same projects together, making it harder for her to stop herself from questioning her thoughts for him.

“Yeah yeah, it was. You should try it. Skydiving’s a whole new experience,” his grin was enough evidence of how much he enjoyed it. But before she could reply, a photographer had approached them asking for pictures. They posed together for a moment, his arm lightly wrapped around her waist as they smiled for the cameras as more press came close to them. Because most questions were addressed to Gendry, she meekly excused herself saying that she had to greet the other casts and crew. She caught sight of her sister, who happens to be one of the set designers for the movie and walked over to her and took many photos that night, a hobby she just started. She thought that it’s the best way to collect memories, something her mother had once said to her.

The night went on with more pictures, more press and more drinks. She’s had a long day. She was just in the North earlier that day, filming for another movie and now she’s in King’s Landing for this premiere. And before heading out for the red carpet, she had to submit her paper for uni. I’m a fucking Superwoman, she thought as she took her heels off and walked up to the elevators, calling it a night.

She texted her assistant telling her that she can handle her self for the rest of the night and that she should call it a day too. She also sent a text message to her sister;

Arya: Up in my room. Too tired to stay long. Night.

Sansa: Delayed flight’s a bitch. You should rest. Catch up tomorrow?

Arya: Brunch? Can’t do dinner, my flight back up North’s at 8 in the evening.

Sansa: Sure. See you. Good night.

As soon as she was up in her room, she threw her heels in the corner where her luggage were scattered and quickly peeled her pretty dress off. She sat in front of the vanity and removed her shimmering make-up. Staring at her reflection, she wondered how all of it can be a fairy tale one moment with fancy dress-ups, elaborate press and socialites and then everything’s plain and simple as soon as she took off her dress, erased her make-up and let herself be swallowed by the silence of her hotel room. She went to the bathroom and took a long warm shower making sure every little hint of the hairspray was washed off, scrubbed her skin until there was no more sticky dried sweat left. After drying her hair and body, she dressed herself in her comfy pajamas and combed her hair as she went about her things. She was about to walk to her bed and continue the book she was reading on the plane when a knock echoed inside the room.

Wondering who might be visiting her at eleven in the night, she walked cautiously towards the door and stood on her tiptoes to peek on the peephole. Her eyes widen as she gasped and landed her bare feet flat back on the floor. She quickly unlocked the door and smiled at him.

Barefoot, in grey t-shirt and sweatpants, Gendry stood with a box wrapped in green paper, complete with a ribbon. He rubbed the back of his neck and with a sheepish smile, he stretched the arm with the gift to her, “Hey, I have something for you,” he said bashfully.

Arya narrowed her eyes at him, “Are you walking around the hotel, handing out gifts?” she asked.

“Actually, no. I couldn’t find you again at the party so I thought you might be in your room. You left quite early,” he still had his arm stretched, urging her to take the gift.

She eyed the present for a moment before taking it from him, “Thank you,” she mumbled. “Well, you look like you also left the celebration quite early,” she gestured to the t-shirt and sweat pants.

He grinned guiltily at her, “Yeah, I just don’t like hanging around in crowds, you know.”

Arya nodded understandingly and remembered something, “Oh, I also have something for you,” she opened the door wider and walked inside.

Gendry followed her, closing the door behind.

“Make yourself comfortable,” she motioned for him to sit on the couch as she searched for the item from her bags, “I’m sure yours is here, somewhere,” she murmured.

After a minute or two, she finally took a silver box from one of her luggage and handed it to him.

“What is it?” he asked as he reached for it.

“It’s a gift, Gendry. Open it,” she also took the gift he gave her and sat beside him on the couch and they both opened their gifts at the same time.

“It feels like Christmas,” Gendry chuckled.

“Tell me about it.”

Arya tore the green wrapping off and opened the box carefully. She pulled out a canvas. It wasn’t too big or too small. It can perfectly fit on her bedside table in her apartment.

“Gendry,” she gasped, staring at the picture she was holding. It was a painting of the two of them from one of the scenes in the movie where she was looking out in the forest and he had his eyes on her.

“Had a friend of mine paint it for me. Do you like it?” he asked anxiously.

Arya’s eyes softened as she looked up to him, “I love it, it’s beautiful. Thank you,” she scrambled on the couch to give him a thankful hug and he squeezed her just as tight.

“You’re welcome,” he chortled at her. “And thanks for the.. ummm,” he motioned for the pen he was holding.

“It’s a fucking vintage Cross fountain pen, Gendry,” Arya sounded a bit offended.

Gendry laughed that crinkly smile of his, making Arya hitch a breath, “I know it’s a Cross pen. Thank you,” he pecked her cheek as he studied the pen, “You even got my name engraved on it.”

“And my initials too,” Arya pointed at the cap. “Now everytime you sign an autograph, you’ll have to remember me,” she japed.

“Oh there’s no way in hell I’ll be using this that often.”

“Then when are you going to use it?”

“Never.”

Arya grunted in disbelief, “Wow, you just wasted my money.”

“Maybe I’ll use it for something special.”

“That’s good enough for me,” she said, standing up to the hotel fridge in the room. “Anything I can get you?”

“Whatever you have will do.”

She took the chilled wine and two glasses from the mini bar and popped the bottle open. Handing one glass to him, she raised her glass, inviting for a toast, “To art.”

“To what?” Gendry asked, baffled.

“To art,” she repeated with a sigh. She pointed at the painting and pen on the coffee table.

Gendry rolled his eyes but raised his glass as well.

After a moment of silence, their glasses half full of wine, Gendry cleared his throat, “You’re in uni right? Drama?”

“Dramatic Literature,” she corrected.

“I see. So it’s like the perfect combo for drama and literature.”

“Kinda like that. More on theater and creative writing,” she explained and pouring herself more wine.

He nodded.

“Guess that’s where you learned it,” he mumbled to himself not expecting her to hear.

“Learned what?”

Gendry hesitated for a second, looking away from her but said it anyway, “Drama kiss,” he said lowly, embarrassed.

Arya stopped midway from drinking her wine. “What?!”

“Drama kiss,” he said again.

“Drama kiss?”

“Yes.”

“What’s drama kiss?”

“The kiss you do when you kiss in front of the camera or on stage,” he said obviously.

Arya didn’t answer to that. She spoke again as Gendry refilled his glass, “Then what do you mean I learned that?”

He huffed and explained, “I meant you learned how to do a drama kiss in university. Because you’re studying, whatever it is you’re studying.”

“Dramatic Literature,” she emphasized every syllable.

“Yes, that.”

They went silent again.

Both emptied their glasses and Arya poured them more wine.

“They don’t teach you that,” she spoke softly.

“They don’t?” he sounded disbelieved.

“No. And what’s the difference between a drama kiss and a real kiss, anyway? It’s just the same, a kiss.”

Gendry’s laugh made her more annoyed at him. She hit him lightly in the arm to stop him from laughing.

“Sometimes I forget how young you are,” Gendry said in between laughs.

“Well I’m sorry grandpa,” Arya retorted.

When he was done laughing, still flushed on the cheeks, he playfully bumped his shoulder to Arya’s.

“I’m just joking,” he said. “What you did when we filmed our scene was a perfect example of a drama kiss,” he explained.

“Isn’t that how you kiss?” Arya confusingly asked.

“Is that how you kiss your boyfriend?”

Arya shook her head, “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

“Well I’m sure you’ve had boyfriends before. I mean, you may be young but you’re not a kid or something,” he said carefully.

Arya heaved a sigh of annoyance, “Well I don’t always lock lips with my boyfriends.”

“Copy that,” Gendry mumbled and downed his wine, quickly refilling it.

“Why are we evening talking about this?” she asked wearily.

“What I was trying to say is,” Gendry started nervously, “with the way you kissed me dramatically, I can tell you’re a good kisser,” he finished his wine, slowly.

Arya’s head snapped to look at him. He was looking more flushed that earlier. Probably the wine. Or is he embarrassed for saying that?

Carefully, Gendry turned to look back at her. His eyes were darker than the usual light blue, hazed. Arya could hear her heart pounding loudly. She felt the warmth inside her body and her pulse palpitating and yet she could feel the cold breeze from the air-condition.

Gendry had looked at her this way before, whenever he complimented her; either be her looks or her acting. And she’ll never forget how his eyes dilated when he held her face before kissing her in front of the cameras.

That’s how his eyes are right now as he reached for her cheek with his warm hand and leaned in to close the distance between them.

It was a drama kiss. It started that way. She tried to push the thoughts in her mind that’s reminding her that this is not right, because it can be right and it felt right.

How can this be wrong?

She’s single and so is he. It was plastered on every tabloid almost two years ago when the news spread out that his long-time girlfriend broke their engagement. It was obvious that he didn’t take it well. Gendry took a break from acting for over a year, and this movie that they’re working together happens to be his comeback project.

She knows of his reputation; caring, empathetic and a gentleman, a hardworking bloke who’d do anything to make others happy. She witnessed it all whenever they worked together.

No, there’s nothing wrong with this.

Not when Gendry licked her lower lip asking for entrance. Not when their tongues danced around each other, and especially not when he sucked on it making her moan.

She could tell he’s smiling through the kiss. Backing away slowly, she opened her eyes only to be met by his blue ones. He’s still smiling. Not a big smile, but a nervous one.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured and bashfully hid his face.

“Me too.”

He snapped his head back at her, looking guilty, “No. I-I started it… I’m so-“

“Still I kissed you back,” Arya replied, confidently. “I guess that was not a drama kiss anymore,” chuckling, she took the bottle in front of them and finished whatever was left of their wine.

“That bad?” she heard him say awkwardly.

She laughed harder this time, shaking her head, “If what you’re asking is the kiss, then no. That wasn’t bad I guess. But kissing you-“ she couldn’t finish her sentence. It was her turn to hide away from him by covering her face with her unkept hair.

“So the kiss wasn’t bad but because it was me, it was bad?”

“No, that’s not what I meant! It’s just we’re-“

“We’re friends,” he finished for her. Arya was still hiding her face. “Friends kiss you know.”

Arya shook her head, “Yeah but-“

“But not when they like each other?”

Well that finally made her face him again.

He was watching her intently, an arm resting on the back cushion of the couch.

“It’ll only make things awkward and complicated, right?” he continued.

Arya just gaped at him, speechless.

When she never said anything for quite some time, Gendry shook his head and breathed deeply. He stood from his seat and said, “I think I should just go. Night Arya.”

And without another look to her, he walked towards the door of her hotel room.

“Wait!” she called out. “Wha-What did you mean?” she asked cautiously. She could tell that he’s a bit uncertain on how to answer her question.

“What I meant to say is that I like you. And I can tell that you like me too-“

Arya opened her mouth to answer but he was quick to stop her despite not looking back at her.

“And don’t try to deny it. I’m sorry that I kissed you because I made it shittier and I know it’ll affect the way that I’ll treat you,” Gendry answered with his back still facing her.

Without a word, Arya leaped to her feet, ran to him and took his arm to make him face her.

With no warning, she stood on her tippy toes to reach his lips and lock them with hers, arms circling his neck as she felt his own wrap around her waist.

“Let me make it way more shittier,” she whispered in his mouth.

So the sayings were true, “takes my breath away” and “sweep you off your feet” have literal meanings to it.

She only realized it when Gendry slowly loosen his grip on her body to place her back on the ground and then he pulled away from her, the both of them giggling as they try to catch their breaths.

Only when Gendry looked terrified and wiped them away with soft strokes on her cheeks did she realize that there were tears on her eyes.

“Why are you crying?” he asked, still holding her close to him.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged but she had a grin on her face.

Gendry grinned along with her, pressing his forehead to hers making her close her eyes. His blue ones are too electrifying to stare back at the moment, her heart couldn’t take it.

Cause of Death: Heart attack, all thanks to Gendry Baratheon’s tantalizing eyes.

She breathed deeply, smelling his fresh manly shower scent. Sandalwood, she thought.

“Well I hope it’s something good,” he spoke softly.

“What?”

“I hope the reason for those tears is good, seeing how we are at the moment,” he replied, backing away from her as she opened her eyes.

Arya chuckled, “I think it is.”

She dragged him back to the couch, the two of them sitting on opposite ends. They were quite for a time when Arya noticed the pen, “Wow. You totally forgot about my gift.”

Gendry was confused but then also saw the forgotten pen on the table, “Sorry about that,” he rubbed a hand on his nape, “Will never forget about this again.” He took the pen and placed it back inside the box. He took the canvas that was also on the table and studied the photo, “I love this scene. It was the first scene we had to film and we couldn’t stop laughing.”

“We were too embarrassed.”

“Awkward,” he replied.

“Who wouldn’t be? Our first scene together, we had to kiss.”

“That’s why I love it,” he went to give her a quick peck as she felt herself blush at the sweet words and kiss. “Are you going back up North?”

“Tomorrow. In the evening,” she watched as his face washed with melancholy while he sat comfortably beside her. She knows how he’s feeling.

“I don’t want to be a prick and assume things between us,” he said without looking at her. “I’m a bit traditional, Arya.”

Her silence made him continue on, “I want to court you properly and not just skip to titles and fucks, if you know what I mean.”

Arya couldn’t stop her grin when he said ‘fucks.’ She took his hand to hers. He looked her in the eyes with a hint of embarrassment and hope and most of all will.

“I’d like that,” she said softly. “But it’ll be hard.”

“I know.”

“I’m also a bit soppy, just a warning,” he laughed at her.

“I don’t mind soppy,” he rubbed his thumb on her knuckles, “We’ll find a way to keep this as private as we can, that way it’ll be way more soppy.”

They both laughed this time.

“Sure. Can we start now?” she asked hopefully.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Gendrya fic so please forgive the errors/typos. i know i need to work on that. Nevertheless, i hope you enjoyed this little work of mine inspired by the premiere photos from S8 in Belfast. find me on tumblr: coffeexwhiskey 
> 
> <3


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